SOPH ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS TEMPLATE
Notes:
Content that is highlighted in yellow needs to be changed to verbiage that relates to
your course.
Red text within bolded sections requires specific policy decisions or information
from instructor. Actual verbiage may be altered to reflect the personal policies and
practices of the instructor.
______________________________________________________________________________
School of Public Health
Title of Course
Course Number:
Course Title:
Credit Hours:
Course Offering:
(Term and Year)
Course Instructor(s) Name:
Teaching Assistant(s) Name:
Student Engagement Hours (Office Hours):
This should indicate the times when you or your TA(s) is available for one-on-one
communication via discussion board, phone calls, and /or chat rooms.
Student Engagement Hours (E-mail Policy):
This should explain how often email will be checked and when a response should be
expected. (E.g. “I will check my email every weekday morning by 8:00 a.m. and every
weekday evening no later than 5:00 p.m. Please anticipate a 12-24 hour response time on
weekdays. I do not answer emails on the weekend.”)
Preferred Method of Contact:
Instructor’s personal email account, UAB email account, phone number, etc.
Course Clock:
The times used in this syllabus are all Central Standard Time. Modules open every Monday
at 8:00 a.m. and close every Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
Introduction/Course Description and Purpose of the Course:
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Prerequisites:
Please indicate the prerequisites for this course. If there are not any please just indicate
“None”.
Learning Objectives/Course Competencies Alignment: (If applicable)
At the completion of this course students will be able to:
Learning Objectives
Public Health Competencies
System Requirements:
View the system requirements specified by the School of Public Health. If your computer
does not meet the standards, you may encounter problems testing or accessing content.
Laptops that do not meet the standards may not be used for testing. If you use a laptop that
does not meet the minimum requirements, you will not be given additional time or
opportunities during an exam as a result of laptop issues. Contact 205-934-7728 for
technical problems within the School of Public Health or AskIT@uab.edu or call 205-9965555 for other technical problems.
Browser Requirements:
Students will need to use Firefox or Google Chrome browsers in order to access Canvas.
Online Delivery System (Course Platform):
This course will be delivered through Canvas by Instructure. You can access Canvas
through BlazerNet or by visiting http://uab.instructure.com. You should log in using your
Blazer ID and password. At any time you can contact the Canvas support team or user
guides by clicking the Help button in the top right-hand side of the screen. You can also
contact the Office of Student Services at soph@uab.edu for assistance.
Course Policies and Procedures:
Assignments should be submitted through Canvas (or emailed to professor) by the
specified due date. Each assignment will have a submission link. Click this link to upload
your file. Papers will be checked by Turnitin.com within the Canvas system. Modules will
open every Monday and will end Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. You will still
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have access to material after the end of the module, but no additional posts to discussion
boards or assignments will be accepted after this date/time.
Time Requirements/Commitment:
Taking an online course often requires more time and effort than an on-campus course.
This is a 3 credit hour course; you should therefore anticipate spending at least 3 hours a
week watching online lectures, viewing PowerPoint lectures, participating in discussion
boards, completing online activities, and taking quizzes or exams. Additionally, you should
anticipate another two hours of study time per lecture hour. Therefore, you should expect
to spend an additional 6 hours a week reading your textbook, studying notes, responding to
discussion posts, and working on assigned projects and/or papers.
In order to be a successful online student, you should plan to log in to the course at least 3
times a week (especially the day a new module opens), possess excellent time management
and organization skills, and avoid procrastination (risk of technology failure increases as
the deadline for an assignment approaches).
Required Reading/Course Materials
Include the textbook information for the textbooks required for this course. Also include
any software requirements specific to the course such as JMP, SAS, etc.)
Textbook Format: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for
subtitle. Location: Publisher.
List the module/week # and the required readings for that module below. List the chapter
number as well as the page ranges.
Module #
Module/Week
1
Module/Week
2
Module/Week
3
Module/Week
4
Module/Week
5
Module/Week
6
Module/Week
7
Module/Week
8
Module/Week
Readings
Chapter #
Chapter Title pp. #
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Module/Week
10
Module/Week
11
Module/Week
12
Module/Week
13
Module/Week
14
Class Format: Online
Grading
Proctoring Policy:
Exams in online courses must be proctored. Online proctoring services are available and
accessible through Canvas. ProctorU exams should be scheduled within 3 weeks prior
to your actual exam date. Use the following resource to learn more about ProctorU and
how to use it.
How ProctorU Works for Students:
https://www.uab.edu/elearning/images/canvas/UAB_ELPS_ProctorU_Student.pdf
UAB eLearning pays for two exams (2.5 hours or less) per student per online course. This
does not include fees associated with students missing exam sessions or scheduling exam
sessions late. Additional exams may be purchased in addition to the ones that UAB
eLearning will cover, but the fees for these additional courses must be paid by the
school/department or student.
Students must pay ProctorU for the following fees:
1. Missed exam sessions: A $19.75 fee for missing a scheduled exam session without
a 24-hour notice unless there is an excused absence.* Course faculty approval is
required for missed exam sessions.
2. Late scheduled exam session: A $5.00 fee for students failing to schedule exams at
least 72 hours in advance of the faculty-specified testing period.
3. On demand exam session: An $8.75 fee for students failing to schedule an exam
session at least one hour in advance of the faculty-specified testing period.
4. On-ground proctoring option: Fees associated, if any, with students using a local
proctor in-person.
How does ProctorU assist test-takers with disabilities?
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A core function of the ProctorU mission is to provide access to education for individuals
that may not otherwise be able to pursue a degree or certification. ProctorU’s service
strengthens an online program’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA).
1. Disability as defined by ADA: A physical or mental impairment that substantially
limits a major life activity.
2. Testing requirements: ADA requires that assessments for disabled individuals be
performed with reasonable accommodations.
3. ProctorU Policy: The online proctoring company will accommodate any test-taker
enrolled in a distance education program with one of its partner institutions.
ProctorU has also developed a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
that evaluates the company’s compliance with Section 508 of the Workforce
Rehabilitation Act. ProctorU’s VPAT is available upon request.
Attendance and Participation:
Students are required to make one original post within the discussion boards and respond
to at least two other discussion threads. Original posts must be one paragraph in length.
Responses must be at least three sentences in length and must address specific content.
Short responses such as “Great post” or “I agree” are not acceptable without explanations.
Evaluation: Describe how student’s performance will be assessed (weighting of
assignments, test, etc.).
Grading Scale:
Graduate school does not use the grade of D. Alter the scale as needed.
A
B
C
D
90-100
89-80
79-70
69-60
F
59-0
Special Instructions:
Online Communication Etiquette:
When participating in a discussion, please be respectful of everyone’s post. While it is
acceptable to disagree with someone’s opinion, you should always do so in a respectful
manner. This respect should be extended to entities (instructors, businesses, other
students, etc.) outside of the class as well. Do not refer to people outside of the class by
name or criticize other instructors or teaching methods within posts. Keep posts relevant
to the discussion board topic. This is an academic discussion, not a sounding board.
Additionally, you should use appropriate language in your posts: avoid “net speak” such as
TTYL, LOL, L8R, U (instead of you). When beginning a post, address your post to the CLASS
(in all capital letters). If you are responding, use the person’s name to whom you are
responding in all capital letters (This is the only time you should use all capital letters).
Incomplete Grades:
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The UAB Incomplete Grade Policy states that a temporary grade notation of “I “for
incomplete may be requested by the student prior to the end of the term and submitted at
the course master’s discretion due to unforeseen circumstances that effect the student’s
ability to complete course requirements. Students requesting consideration of an “I” grade
must discuss with the course instructor, and agree upon a plan and a schedule for,
completion of course requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate this
discussion, assure completion of this form and return it to the Office of Student and
Academic Services. If no permanent grade is reported by the end of the subsequent term,
an “F” will be automatically assigned to replace the “I”. Extension of “I” grades may be
granted only upon written request of the course instructor to the associate dean for
academic affairs. Here is the web link for SOPH Incomplete Grade Request Form:
http://www.soph.uab.edu/media/osas%20forms/I%20grade%20form.pdf.
Policy on late assignments:
Please indicate your late policy for this course.
Accessibility:
UAB is committed to providing an accessible learning experience for all students. If you are
a student with a disability that qualifies under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and you require accommodations, please contact
Disability Support Services for information on accommodations, registration and
procedures. Requests for reasonable accommodations involve an interactive process and
consist of a collaborative effort among the student, DSS, faculty and staff. If you are
registered with Disability Support Services, please contact me to discuss accommodations
that may be necessary in this course. If you have a disability but have not contacted
Disability Support Services, please call 934-4205 or visit http://www.uab.edu/dss.
Title IX:
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to providing an environment that
is free of bias, discrimination, and harassment. If you have been the victim of
sexual discrimination, harassment, misconduct, or assault we encourage you to report the
incident. UAB provides several avenues for reporting. For more information about Title
IX, policy, reporting, protections, resources and supports, please
visit http://www.uab.edu/titleix for UAB’s Title IX Policy and UAB’s Equal Opportunity and
Anti-Harassment Policy.
Honor Code:
As a student in the School of Public Health, you are subject to the School of Public Health
Student Honor Code which can be found at
http://www.soph.uab.edu/about/vision/honorcode. You are responsible to understand
the contents of the Honor Code and to abide by it. Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism is the
undocumented use of other authors' words, texts, images, and ideas that don't come from
your own head. Making up sources, altering numbers, statistics, or just a few words of a
document is considered plagiarism. Poor documentation or paraphrasing of a source is also
considered plagiarism. Plagiarism in this course is taken seriously; any violations will be
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punished to the full extent allowable under the School of Public Health Honor Code. All
assignments will be submitted through the Turn-It–In system to document the originality
of your contributions to the class.
Note: Instructors reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus or course content
at any time. It is your responsibility to check the modules and announcements often
for changes in assignment requirements, due dates, and materials.
Course Calendar:
Module #
Topic (if
applicable)
Readings
Activities/Due
Dates
Learning
Objectives (if
applicable)
Module/Week
1
Module/Week
2
Module/Week
3
Module/Week
4
Module/Week
5
Module/Week
6
Module/Week
7
Module/Week
8
Module/Week
9
Module/Week
10
Module/Week
11
Module/Week
12
Module/Week
13
Module/Week
14
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